CH 257

Emperor's speculations

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The guests left with the First Prince, Gregory, and Emperor Constant, who finished seeing them off, took the Second Prince, Joseph, to the office.

The entire wall of the office was covered with bookshelves, but thanks to the large skylight, there was no need to turn on the lights of the magic tools.

Constant sat down at a large, beautifully carved desk and ordered tea from his butler.

"Would you mind treating me to a cup of tea, too?"

"Muu, Kent Kokubu, huh, okay, an additional tea."

The butler was surprised when I put out a shield of darkness and went out, but Constant and Joseph seemed familiar with it and weren't surprised.

"Did something happen? Don't tell me something happened to Sera-chan ..."

"No, no, Seraphima is fine. With a hundred escort knights and my genus, there's no way something will happen."

"Umu, that's fine, but then, what do you want?"

"It's not an emergency, but I came to inform you about something that has me a bit concerned."

"Something that has you concerned?"

"Yes, the place that connects this continent and the southern continent, the place where the Hydra appeared before ..."

I talked about the reason why the crater was created by subjugating the Hydra, and the current situation that was like a monster's paradise.

"So, I'm afraid that a similar event may have happened at Leinef, where the Gigases were subjugated."

"I see, if that's the reason, then it makes sense."

"Yes, Father."

After hearing my story, Constant and Joseph exchanged glances and nodded.

"Perhaps, are there some signs?"

"Umu, in the city of Leinef, the search for missing people and the cleanup of rubble is being carried out, but there are reports of Mermen appearing frequently."

Merman was the so-called half-fish person.

Although it had human-like limbs, its entire body was covered in scales and had a fish-like face.

It was nearly two meters tall, and was said to attack humans and drag them into the sea.

With their sharp teeth and claws and webbing between their fingers, they were believed to live in the sea.

They were said to have been seen very rarely in the waters near Leinef, but they never came ashore.

"Then, was there any damage done?"

"Nope, we just subjugated the Gigas. We've been on guard against monsters, so we've repelled them all, but I've received reports that the search and other work has been delayed."

Mermen were vicious monsters in the sea, but they were said to be less dangerous than Orcs on land.

"Then, is it okay for now?"

"That's right. We can't let our guard down, but what we can actively do is limited. We can't live in the water."

"But, Father, if this situation continues, won't it be difficult to rebuild the city?"

Leinef was once a fishing town.

It seemed that most of the residents made a living from processed seafood, so it would be difficult to continue fishing in the sea where Mermen frequently appeared.

"Kent Kokubu. Was there not an increase in earthworm-like monsters in the place where you exterminated that Hydra?"

"Yes, about this thickness, about this length ..."

"Is it really an earthworm? Isn't that a giant snake?"

"No, it looked like an earthworm. It's just the size is a joke."

"Fumu ... If that's the case, it's possible that such monsters are breeding in Leinef."

When it came to breeding on the beach, I wondered if monsters like lugworms and sea cucumbers were also increasing.

I wanted to see it, but I also didn't want to see it ...

Constant seemed to be imagining a similar situation.

"Joseph, there may be an increase in small monsters near the beach, dispatch a water magician to Leinef. Cooperate with the earth-attribute magicians of the engineering corps who are searching, and mix the earth and sand that seem to have accumulated the Gigas' meat and magic stones with seawater and send them outside the cove."

"I understand. I'll arrange it right away."

Joseph left the office.

The connecting corridor was said to be the center of the government affairs in Barshania.

"If you throw it offshore, won't it attract more monsters?"

"Don't worry. If the traces of the Gigas disappear near Leinef, even if the density of monsters increases temporarily offshore, it shouldn't last long. I've heard that the tide is fast outside the cove."

Maa, if the density of monsters increased, the big fish would come to swallow them whole.

"Umm, if there's anything I can do ..."

"Let's just accept your feelings. You've been giving us a lot of help so far."

"But, shouldn't we have to hurry with the reconstruction?"

"Leinef will eventually recover. We will recover, but the damage was too great."

The town of Leinef, which was attacked by the Gigas, was in a state of destruction except for a few houses.

Not only houses, but also seafood processing plants, government offices, and ships had been destroyed or washed away.

Above all, the damage to the residents was enormous, and even if everyone returned, it would be difficult to operate the city on the same scale as before.

"Houses and ships can be taken care of if you give money. That's why I can cover a considerable part with the money I received from you. But, people don't grow up easily."

"What are you going to do?"

"Reduce the size of the city and start rebuilding, recruit applicants from the slums and move them."

"Moving them from the slums?"

"That's right, this isn't limited to Leinef's recovery, it's a relief measure for the poor."

In Barshania, as a support for those who could not escape from poverty, it seemed that a migration policy to areas and settlements that had suffered great damage like this time was being implemented.

"Among the poor, there were those who had been deceived by unscrupulous moneylenders or forced to shoulder the debts of their parents. It was forbidden to lend at an interest rate higher than that set by the government, or to make people shoulder the debts of their parents, but those who dodged the law would be cut off. Besides, it was the duty of the ruler of the country to extend a helping hand to those who were born to poor parents."

Constant explained the anti-poverty measures in Barshania.

In the slums, there were people in charge who monitored the city on a daily basis, and they listened to the situation of poverty and the current situation where they couldn't escape, and talked to them when the migration project was carried out.

"However, I won't lend a hand to everyone. I won't lend a hand to those who are addicted to gambling or drinking. Only those who sincerely want to escape from their current life and live a proper life."

For example, in the case of a family that cannot get out of poverty because of an alcoholic father, it seemed that divorce procedures and child protection were also taken care of.

"So, will the Father agree?"

"If they don't agree and follow their family ..."

Constant put a knife hand to his neck and pretended to cut it off.

It was unimaginable severity in Japan.

"There's no good reason why some people can't even lead a normal life just because of people who can't help themselves with alcohol and gambling. I don't know if there are sleeping talents among those who will carry the country on their backs in the future."

Relief measures were being taken against poverty, but there seemed to be no recognition of addiction like in Japan.

I felt that there were still no relief measures in place for the people who had fallen into disrepair.

"If such relief measures are taken, I feel that the slums themselves will disappear."

"Fuun, it won't be so easy. No matter how much we reach out and pull them out, we can't save all the humans who fall into the slums."

Maa, even in Japan, there were people who committed crimes because they wanted money to have fun, and there were people who could not work for various reasons.

No matter how hard you tried, it would be difficult to save everyone.

"But, wouldn't the security of the slums themselves only get worse if you are only picking out the relatively decent people like that?"

"In the slums, special departments deal with the situation. If you commit a crime, you will be punished more severely than others. If you drink and go on a rampage and injure someone else, the first offense will only be thrown in for a few days, but if you repeat it, you will be forced to work hard. If that still doesn't work ..."

"I see ..."

It looks like they've been given a chance to get back on their feet.

"Constant-san, has there been any progress since then regarding the monster-fallen?"

"Monster-fallen, is it ... After the first three days in a row where people who became monster-fallen went on a rampage, the commotion had stopped, but the day before yesterday, there was another incident in which a person who had become monster-fallen went on a rampage. It was the slum residents who were targeted."

It seemed that a man who became monster-fallen near dawn went on a rampage in the slums, causing many casualties among the residents.

The man who became monster-fallen would often become violent and uncontrollable when he drank alcohol, and those who knew him stopped approaching him when he started drinking.

It seemed that the night before the incident happened, he had been drinking alcohol and getting into trouble, but there was a man who skillfully persuaded him to take him out of the store.

"Then, is that man the culprit of the riots?"

"I still don't know that far, but it's highly possible because he was the one who was with him at the end."

The man who took out the monster-fallen man had a face that you didn't see around here.

"Gregory's subordinates are looking for the whereabouts of the man, but he has not been found yet."

"But, is there some kind of medicine that will instantly make you monster-fallen just by drinking it?"

"Nope, I've never heard of such a thing, but if it's actually happening, you should assume it exists."

I told him about what happened to Fujii in Japan, thinking it might be of some help.

"Fumu, it's hard to imagine a world without magic essence, but just consuming one magic stone won't make you monster-fallen. Just as Sera had surmised, there must be a factor in the replenishment of magical essence before that time."

"Even if you eat magic stones, you shouldn't become monster-fallen overnight, but there are actually people who are becoming monster-fallen and rampaging ... What kind of method are they using?"

"I don't know, however, they can make people become monster-fallen overnight, but it's not an easy method, and they probably won't be able to control the monster-fallen humans as they wish."

If it was just a matter of giving them something to eat or drink, they would probably make more people become monster-fallen.

Also, it seemed that humans who had become monster-fallen instinctively went towards things they held a grudge against, and they didn't seem to be launching attacks towards a specific location.

"If it's not something that can be used as a tool of war, does it give a feeling of relief."

"What did you say, is it possible to have a feeling of relief. Even if they can't do it now, if they keep improving it, it might become a way to easily make people become monster-fallen. If they create something that will make people monster-fallen just by putting it in their mouth, what a terrible situation will be caused."

"That's right. I said something careless, I'm sorry."

"Regarding this matter, I'm having the responsible patrols move around in civilian clothes and search. I'll definitely grab them by the tail."

"As expected, Mungia is involved?"

"Rather than saying that the possibility is the highest, I don't really want to think about other cases."

As for Mungia, they were the most hardened of the Barshanian dissidents.

"As is talked about in Leinef, the name of Kent Kokubu has already spread as a hero. Many knights were lost to the Gigas, but there are rumors that the Barshanian Imperial Family is in good health after forming a relationship with a man who single-handedly defeated three Gigases. Because of such a situation, if Mungia, who has not come out to attack, will involve other tribes and cause a mass uprising ..."

"It's okay. In that case, I'll move too."

"Are you going to let your genus kill people?"

"No, no, I want them to feel the same as those who were stranded in Chowsk."

"I see, the Storm Cat lurking in the shadows and the Gigawolves ... Please don't disturb the peaceful sleep of your allies by mistaking the faction."

"I will do my best."

With a bitter smile on his face, Constant must have been remembering the harassment by Nero and the Kobold Corps.

Maa, if I were to do it again, I'd have Flamme participate in addition to Zeta-tachi, so I'd make it even more flashy to disturb their sleep.

"Even so, why are Mungia and the Barshanian Imperial Family on such bad terms?"

"Unfilled gap between rich and poor and territorial disputes."

The Mungia were said to be a tribe living in the northwestern part of Barshania.

They lived by hunting and a little farming, they had no special products, and they were far from the main roads, so they seemed to live poorer than other tribes.

"Making processed goods using materials such as leather and horns obtained from hunting, and widening the way to the highway ... Such proposals to eliminate the gap between rich and the poor have been made, but they have been categorically rejected."

"What is the territorial dispute?"

"Mungia borders on the neighboring country of Felciane across the river, but they continue to skirmish with the tribes on the other side of the river over territorial rights on the sandbanks of the river."

"Is there a reason why they are so particular about the sandbank?"

"From our point of view, it's just a sandbank, but to them, it seems to be their ancestral land."

On the sandbank, there were mausoleums dedicated to the ancestors of both tribes, and there was a legend that those who ruled the sandbank would prosper.

"But, the tribe on the opposite bank is just one tribe of the Felciane Empire, right?"

"That's right. Even if Mungia obtains the sandbank, it doesn't mean that they can attack to the opposite shore, and the same is true for Nuoranne on the opposite shore. From our point of view, it's a silly battle for encampment, and if they don't come attacking us, we don't have any intention of dealing with it. They don't seem to like that."

It seemed that Barshania and Felciane had agreed not to invade each other's territory across the river.

For example, if one side crosses the river, they can repel it, but they are not supposed to help the invasion.

From Mungia's point of view, such an attitude would appear uncooperative.

"Mungia is a troublesome existence, but it seems that you are able to maintain a friendly relationship with the Felciane Empire."

"Did you peek?"

"Yes, I happened to listen for a moment."

"It's an ability that I want from a spy in Barshania. Maa, it's fine, on the surface, things go well with Felciane."

"On the surface ... is it?"

"That's right. The man who came earlier is known as a pro-Barshanian even among the Felciane. Naturally, the story is closer to our position."

"Then, are there any people who are anti-Barshania?"

"Of course, those who repeatedly skirmish with Mungia are the biggest."

"Umm, Nuoranne ... was it? But, it's an anti-government tribe, isn't it?"

"That's right, it's the same with Mungia. Bare your teeth to our Imperial Family, bare your teeth to Nuoranne, bare your teeth to Felciane ... If we show a naive appearance, the idiots will push their limits endlessly."

Constant seemed to be deeply disgusted.

"Aren't you thinking of pacifying them with force?"

"We lost many knights in the Gigas turmoil, but we still have the strength to take down Mungia."

"Even so, you have no intention of doing it?"

"Barshania was originally a country made up of ethnic minorities. If one tribe is wiped out by force of arms, it will be impossible to maintain ties with other tribes. If they will get destroyed anyway ... Thinking about things like that, it's possible that some tribes will follow Mungia."

"Uwaa ... Just listening to it is troublesome."

"It may look like that, but everyone has troublesome existences. It just got a little bigger."

"I see ..."

Come to think of it, I also had troublesome existences like Gilik and Baldini.(TN:Not Yagi? XD )

"An Emperor is someone who governs a house called a country. Mungia is also a member of the family, although it's irritating. For that reason, if they're causing an uproar, we will have to give them a strong warning."

"Does that mean that you and Felciane are neighbors?"

"That's how it is. It would be nice if they weren't planning something behind the scenes."

"Are they a country that plots behind the scenes?"

"What, weren't you peeping?"

"Yes, from what I heard, they seemed friendly, but ..."

"It's a country that deals calmly with both Kilia and Jogesen, so there must be something behind it."

"Ahh ... I see. Then, are they thinking of invading Barshania?"

"They are most likely thinking of such. However, in the current situation, it's just that it's better to continue the friendly relationship."

"I see ..."

That meant that while Barshania was also considering invading Felciane, it seemed that it would be more profitable for them to continue their friendly relationship in the current situation.

"Felciane borders on both Kilia and Jogesen. They probably think that once Kilia has pacified Jogesen, they might be the next target. When that happens, if they move on Barshania, they'll be forced into a two-sided strategy. They just want to avoid that at all costs."

"If Kilia attacks Felciane, will Barshania also attack Felciane?"

"Now then, it all depends on how Kilia behaves. Kilia and Jogesen didn't get along very well to begin with. However, Kilia and Felciane have built a long-standing friendship. A country that attacks a friendly country, we don't welcome a situation where a neighboring country is attacked. Maa, it's still a long way off for that kind of situation to happen ..."

He calculated that Kilia would stop exporting iron, cross Felciane, and even invade Barshania, since he was the person who made a secret pact with Havre, he must be thinking about various things.

Now then, it seemed that there was a line of people waiting for the documents to be approved on the other side of the door, so let's go home.

"Then, I'll depart now."

"Informing me about the Leinef case is appreciated."

"No, it's natural to this degree."

"I see, is that so, then, even when you don't have anything in particular to do, show up and tell me how Seraphima is doing."

"Yes, I'll take my other wives and visit you to say hello."

"Hou, is such a thing possible, then let's look forward to it, Son-in-law."

"Yes, Father-in-law."

Had he finally sorted out his mind, I nodded to Constant with a wry smile and dived into the shadows.

Since there were many things to worry about, such as the matter of the monster-fallen and the matter of Leinef, I decided to place one of the Kobolds near Constant to see how things were going.

Occasionally, should I record Sera's message with a tablet and send it to him.